Nick Taylor delivered another dramatic PGA Tour victory, chipping in for eagle to force a play-off on his way to victory over Nico Echavarria.at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
Canada’s Taylor never looked like a winner at Waialae Country Club after missing two short birdie chances down the closing stretch, only to chip in from off the green at the par-five last and post a five-under 65 to jump into the clubhouse lead.
Echavarria produced a great bunker shot for a tap-in birdie on the 18th to match Taylor’s 65 and also reach 16 under, with Stephen Jaeger and JJ Spaun both finishing one shot outside of the play-off in tied-third.
Nico Echavarria (left) and Nick Taylor were involved in the play-off
Taylor had to hole a 10-foot birdie to match Echavarria and keep the play-off alive, before getting up and down from off the green to birdie the second extra play-off and secure victory when his opponent three-putted for par.
Victory is Taylor’s fifth on the PGA Tour and a third consecutive win via a play-off, following on from the RBC Canadian Open in 2023 and the WM Phoenix Open last season, with the latest success also securing him an invite to The Masters this April.
Taylor edges Sony Open thriller
It had previously looked a battle between Jaeger and Spaun to decide the winner, with Jaeger holing a 30-foot birdie on the 14th to catch Spaun as the American holed from a similar distance to save par and stay tied for the lead.
Jaeger hit his tee shot out of bounds at the 16th and had to make a 20-footer just to scramble a bogey, while Spaun missed a 10-foot birdie chance on the same hole and then bogeyed the next when he failed to get up and down from a greenside bunker.
At the same time, Echavarria made a 15-foot par save on the 15th, a 12-foot birdie on the 16th, saved par from a bunker on the 17th and then hit a splendid bunker shot across the 18th birdie to get up-and-down for birdie.
Nick Taylor ended the week on 16 under before claiming victory on the second play-off hole
Taylor looked like he had lost his chances by missing a pair of four-foot birdie putts and staying two behind, only to eagle the last in dramatic fashion, while Spaun failed to convert a birdie putt at the par-five last to join the play-off and Jaeger also had to settle for a closing par.
“I’m a bit stunned this worked out this way,” Taylor said. “I was one over through seven, got on a birdie streak there. It’s always so bunched here, but I did a really good job every day really of just hanging in there. Fortunate for me, really good things happened at the end.”
Eric Cole finished fifth and Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley was in the group tied-sixth, with England’s Harry Hall in tied-tenth after a one-under 69 on Sunday. Hideki Matsuyama, who won with a PGA Tour record 35-under par last week at Kapalua, closed with a 66 and finished tied for 16th.
What’s next?
The PGA Tour season moves to California for the American Express, held at the Pete Dye Stadium Course at La Quinta. Early coverage begins on Thursday from 4.30pm on Sky Sports Golf ahead of full coverage from 9pm. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, majors and more with NOW.